We're thrilled to reveal a new section of Flightglobal today that we've been working on for some time.
Atlas is a new realtime aircraft tracking service overlaying aircraft/airline flight data onto Google Maps to provided a flight tracking service.
Okay - here's the caveat: the product is still in beta having just gone live so please be patient if any glitches rear their ugly heads.
Over the coming weeks and months, we'll be working hard to introduce new features and enhancements, but in the meantime if you have any comments or suggestions we'd love to hear them ...
Our intention is to extend Atlas' coverage over as much of the world as possible, as well as introduce loads of additional cool features, including membership with enhanced functionality and content.
Please check it out and let us know what you think.
Here's a bunch of FAQs that we think you might have:
Frequently asked questions:
Q. Why are the aircraft shown with a 5 minute delay?
A. To enable us to pick up the flights from multiple sources and display them correctly, the display is delayed for 5 minutes. If we reduced the delay by anymore than 5 minutes you would notice the aircraft "jumping" around a bit as Atlas updated the map with the latest positions. By incorporating a short delay Atlas can validate the aircraft positions and plot their path smoothly.
Q. Where does the aircraft information come from?
A. Atlas collates aircraft positional information received from a network of contributors who have set up SBS boxes (see below). The SBS boxes receive line-of-sight altitude and identification signals from aircraft equipped with ADS-B transponders together with GPS data.
Q. What is an SBS box?
A. An SBS box is a portable low-cost Mode-S/ADS-B receiving Station designed for training and the aviation enthusiast. More information on SBS boxes ...
Q. Can I join the network of Atlas contributors?
A. We'd love you to! But you'll have to wait just a little while until Atlas has come out of beta. First we've just to make sure everything is working smoothly, then we'll post details of how you sign up and the contributor benefits for Atlas members!
Q. Do you plan to introduce new features to Atlas?
A. Yes yes and yes! We've got loads of plans for Atlas, in addition to increasing the global coverage. But we'd also like you ideas. See Feedback below.
Q. Will you be increasing the global coverage?
A. Once we've approved the beta version of Atlas we'll be inviting people with SBS boxes to join the Atlas members network. So as new SBS boxes come online, then the coverage will grow rapidly.
Q. What version of Adobe Flash do you recommend for using Atlas?
A. We recommend version 10.1.
Feedback:
Atlas is currently a beta product and we're rapidly developing new features to enhance the tracking experience.
We welcome your feedback at this stage to make sure we develop the things you'd like to see as quickly as possible.
on October 26, 2010 10:49 AM | Reply
Great, it is still showing the old Durban International Airport not the new King Shaka International Airport which replaced it on 01st May 2010.
on October 26, 2010 3:45 PM | Reply
I like it, at least for Europe, it just needs a few more ground stations around the world.
Is it related to Frontiers Casper (http://casper.frontier.nl/), because it looks very similar, except for the fact that Atlas is potentially world-wide.
on October 27, 2010 2:19 AM | Reply
Using Adobe Flash Player means I can't use it from my iPad.